1. Technical Field
The present application relates, in general, to wireless data communications systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data is information that is in any form suitable to manipulation and/or processing in a formalized manner, such as by one or more machines. Wireless data communications systems are systems wherein data communications stations transmit and/or receive data through at least one wireless data communications link (e.g., through the air or through a vacuum).
One type of wireless data communications system is a mobile wireless data communications system. In mobile wireless data communications systems at least one of the data communications stations is a mobile station. Typically, mobile wireless data communications systems are often comprised of one or more base stations and one or more mobile stations. A base station is a data communications station which is geographically fixed and which is typically made up of antennas, amplifiers, receivers, and transmitters, and similar hardware and software for sending and receiving signals and converting between radio frequency (RF) waves and audio signals. An example of a base station is a cellular base station that communicates with cell phones currently located in the geographic area (i.e., cell) within which the base station can intelligently send and receive signals.
A mobile station is a data and/or voice communications station intended to be used while in motion or during halts at unspecified points and which is typically made up of an antenna, amplifier, receiver, transmitter, and similar hardware and software for sending and receiving signals and converting between RF waves and audio signals. Examples of mobile stations are cellular devices such as global system for mobile communications (GSM) devices, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) devices, time division multiple access (TDMA) devices, code division multiple access (CDMA) devices, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) devices, and analog mobile phone system (AMPS) devices.
There are many uses for mobile wireless data communications systems. One such use is the determination of a previously unknown geographic localization of a mobile station based on information gleaned from one or more data communications stations whose geographic locations are either known or knowable (e.g., whose locations may not be presently known, but whose locations can be determined via defined techniques).
Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there is a continuing need to increase the accuracy of the geographic localizations of mobile stations. Accordingly, one aspect of the present disclosed subject matter is to increase the accuracy of the geographic localization of mobile stations.